


Space Parasites

by moretrash



Series: Dads of Marmora [33]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Big Brother Matt, Big Brother Shiro (Voltron), Dads of Marmora (Voltron), I googled references for the anatomy of the throat so don't quote me, Medical practices that definitely do not exist in real life but hey.... space, Nests, Parasites, Pidge | Katie Holt is a Good Friend, Sickfic, Space Uncle Coran (Voltron), The paladins are good friends to Keith, not as angsty as I planned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2018-07-03
Packaged: 2019-06-01 16:23:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15147065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moretrash/pseuds/moretrash
Summary: Keith comes down with a space parasite. It's awful, and Keith had never been more grateful for the best friends he could ever ask for.





	Space Parasites

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt:
> 
> "What about one where Keith is hanging out with the paladins and gets some galra sickness, and the paladins obviously don't know how to handle it, so they start panicking and making everything worse until they have to call the blade so Keith doesn't Actually Die. some angst maybe?"

Keith was always excited to visit the castle of lions. After all, his closest friends lived there and he didn’t get to do it as often as he would have liked due to both his busy schedule, as well as the paladins’ busy schedules. 

Though, he should remember to listen to his body sometimes.

He had felt a bit short of breath when he had arrived at the castle of lions. In hindsight, he should have told someone and spent the night in the infirmary. But no, he was just so excited to see his friends that he didn’t give a second thought to that idea.

-

Keith woke up the next morning feeling like something had lodged in his throat and allowed very little air through. His breathing came in cut-off wheezes and he felt lightheaded, in the same way he would if he was being choked. He considered that the troubles breathing came from something lodged in his throat. It wasn’t a completely impossible idea, he had eaten rather quickly the night before, so something may have gotten stuck in his throat. But, if that was the case, the breathing problems would have been that bad right after he had finished eating, not waiting until the next morning. 

Keith sat up and coughed when he took too deep of a breath. He steadied himself before slowly standing up and propping himself against the wall on his trek to find someone who could help him. He considered Lance for a moment before remembering that his boyfriend had woken him up briefly to let him know that he would be on a short solo mission for the day. The thought both dreaded and warmed Keith. On one hand, Keith hated that he didn’t have his boyfriend when he felt so awful, but at the same time, Keith felt a small warmth in his chest at the fact that Lance took the time to let him know where he would be so he didn’t get too worried. 

Keith was about to go to Shiro’s room when he saw that the black paladin was sleeping on his bed. Keith hated to disturb the man, he absolutely deserved to take a nap, as stressed as he was, and Keith knew that waking Shiro up would ensure that he didn’t sleep at all the rest of the day. Shiro was an extremely light sleeper on a good day, and it was difficult for him to fall asleep. Keith couldn’t blame him though, he wouldn’t be too thrilled to sleep if he experienced awful nightmares nearly every time he slept. Keith couldn’t bear to wake Shiro up when he saw how peaceful he looked for once, so he continued on his way to the next person he encountered, leaning heavily against the wall as bouts of dizziness overcame him every so often. 

The next person Keith saw was Pidge, perched precariously on a shelf with their laptop balanced on their knees. Hearing Keith’s approach, they glanced up and frowned when they saw how much Keith was leaning against the wall. 

“Keith? You okay, dude?” They asked worriedly. The last time they had seen Keith in such a state had been when he had been stabbed repeatedly and hadn’t told anyone until they had gotten infected. Keith nodded, even as his breathing came in loud wheezes.

“No, I don’t believe you, Keith. Do you need me to go get someone? Shiro, Coran?” They asked. They had considered offering to take Keith to the infirmary themself, but they knew that, even as strong as they were getting, they could never hold up Keith if he collapsed.

“No! Don’t get Shiro, please.” Keith said, his voice soft and strained and breathy. Pidge looked alarmed and hopped down from their perch, coming closer.

“Why shouldn’t I get Shiro, Keith? He’s basically your brother, he should know if something is wrong with you.” Pidge said. Keith opened his mouth to answer before gritting his teeth and leaning more heavily against the wall as yet another round of dizziness overcame him.

“Keith? No, you clearly can’t breathe very well. Here, hang on a second-” Pidge said, pulling up another tab on their laptop before turning it to Keith, showing an empty word document. “Type your answer here, so you don’t have to speak.” They said. Keith looked at the laptop and slowly typed out an answer, turning it back to Pidge.

“You don’t want to wake him up? Well, I understand that, he hardly ever sleeps without nightmares. Don’t tell him, but I’m trying to find a solution that works for him that reduces his nightmares. But, on the topic at hand, do you want me to get Coran?” Pidge said. Keith nodded and whimpered, trying to massage whatever was in his throat, out. Pidge nodded and turned around, sprinting in the direction of the control room, where Coran would no doubt be.

-

“CORAN!” Pidge shouted when they entered the control room and saw the familiar redheaded Altean. Coran jumped and turned around, looking at Pidge curiously, and with a hint of worry in his expression.

“Where’s the fire, number five?” He asked, his brows furrowing in worry. Pidge tugged on his arm to pull him away from the controls.

“It’s Keith. He showed up in the hallway and he can’t breathe and he looks close to passing out from lack of oxygen. Something is really, really wrong and he needs to go to the infirmary but I’m not strong enough to support him.” Pidge explained, their voice rushed and panicked in the same way it got when they got worried about their friends. Coran frowned and followed Pidge to where Keith was. 

In the short time since Pidge had left him, Keith had slid down the wall into a sitting position, alternating between coughing and trying to take shallow breaths. Coran crouched down in front of him and pulled out a small flashlight.

“Can you open your mouth for me, Keith? I just want to make sure there isn’t something obvious blocking your airway.” Coran explained, smiling when Keith obediently opened his mouth wide. Coran clicked the flashlight on and shone it into Keith’s mouth so that he could see part of his throat. He frowned and tilted his head.

“What is it, Coran? Is he okay?” Pidge asked worriedly. Coran hummed in thought before replying.

“Well, I’m not so sure, Pidge. From what I can see, there is something blocking a significant amount of his trachea. But it looks… Alive.” Coran said. Pidge peered over Coran’s shoulder and made a noise of horror when they saw the green specks that were crawling around Keith’s throat.

“Holy shit, that’s disgusting. Can the pods fix it, though?” Pidge asked. Coran sighed sadly and shook his head. 

“Unfortunately, no. Whatever this is seems to be some sort of parasite, and the pods simply aren’t programmed to get rid of those. It’s unfortunate, but I’ve never seen anything like this in my life, so I don’t trust myself to treat him. We should contact Ulaz, he is an actual doctor and, with any good luck, he may know what the problem is and how to treat Keith. For right now, We should make him comfortable in the infirmary. If you could run ahead and prep a bed for him, Pidge, I would appreciate it.” Coran said. Pidge nodded and sprinted off to the infirmary. 

Coran helped Keith up and let the other lean almost all of his weight onto him. It wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle, Keith was actually rather light compared to other people he had lifted in his life. All of the paladins were, really. Shiro and Hunk were a little heavier, but Coran could still lift them, it was just a bit of an awkward position since both of the men had more than half a foot of height on him unless he shifted his appearance to be taller. 

“Keith, you look exhausted. Now, while I’d prefer you don’t fall asleep quite yet, I truly won’t mind if you feel the need to be entirely dependent on me.” Coran reassured. As soon as he had the assurance, Keith all but collapsed against Coran, the older man lifting Keith into his arms securely. Coran hurried his footsteps until he reached the infirmary, smiling when he saw Pidge finishing up prepping a bed.

“If you don’t mind, number five, I would appreciate the extra help with Keith for a while longer.” Coran said. Pidge nodded firmly.

“Of course, Coran. Keith is my friend, and I want to do anything I can to help him. Besides, I wasn’t working on anything urgent.” They said. Coran smiled, once again reminded of the team the paladins had become, willing to drop anything to help if one of them was ailing. 

“Excellent. I appreciate the help, Pidge. Keep Keith awake for a while while I call Ulaz. I don’t want him to fall asleep quite yet.” Coran said. He pulled out a datapad and started a video call with Ulaz.

-

Ulaz picked up almost immediately when he saw his datapad light up with a call from Coran. Any call from the castle of lions when Keith was there was concerning. 

“Coran, is something wrong?” Ulaz asked worriedly. 

“Yes. Keith is incredibly sick and is struggling to breathe. When I looked, I found a very bizarre group of green parasites blocking a majority of his throat. I have no idea what it was or how to treat it, so I figured you might know.” Coran explained. Ulaz’s eyes widened and he frowned.

“Can you take an x-ray of his chest? I want to make sure it hasn’t spread to his lungs. You said a green parasite?” He asked. Coran nodded and turned to Pidge.

“Yes, small green parasites. Pidge, can you take an x-ray of Keith’s chest? All you need is a datapad connected to the control panel on a pod, so he doesn’t have to move.” Coran explained to Pidge. The green paladin nodded and turned to Keith as they connected their datapad to a pod control panel and pulling up an x-ray option.

“Keith, are you okay with taking your shirt off?” Pidge asked softly. Keith’s face scrunched up in confusion.

“Why?” He asked curiously.

“Ulaz wants you to take an x-ray of your chest to make sure those parasites haven’t spread to your lungs.” Pidge explained. Keith nodded and wrestled off his shirt, waiting impatiently as Pidge let the datapad scan him.

“How much longer?” Keith asked after a few moments.

“Just a bit longer, Keith. I know it’s cold for you.” Pidge said sympathetically. They wore long sleeves because of the cold, so they could understand why Keith was eager to be done. They set the datapad aside when it was done scanning and helped Keith back into his shirt.

“I’m going to ask you again, Keith, do you want me to get anyone? Shiro? I know he wouldn’t mind being woken up, especially if you feel so awful.” Pidge said. Keith frowned and shook his head firmly. Pidge sighed and ran their hands through his hair in an attempt to soothe him. They handed the datapad to Coran.

“It looks like they’ve started to spread to his lungs, but they haven’t taken a lot of it.” Coran said as he studied the x-ray. Ulaz winced and bit his lip.

“Right. I’m going to head there with the treatment, but I won’t arrive until tomorrow. Is it possible for you to use a breathing tube? I’d hate to do it to him, but I really don’t want to risk the parasites completely blocking his airway..” Ulaz said. Coran nodded and glanced at Keith.

“Alright.” Coran said, ending the video call. He came over to Keith and smiled sadly.

“Alright, Keith, Ulaz asked me to use a breathing tube on you. Don’t you worry, though, Altean technology has come a long way and it’s barely noticeable. You’ll still be able to talk and you’ll barely even feel it.” Coran said reassuringly. Keith relaxed slightly. He trusted Coran’s word. Yes, the man was a bit quirky, but he had never lied to Keith. He had been honest when something would hurt, so why would he lie now? Keith felt safe and reassured with Coran, knowing that he had never led him the wrong way.

“Okay. Will it hurt to put it in?” Keith asked hesitantly. Coran thought for a moment.

“Well, I won’t lie to you, it won’t exactly tickle. After all, I am shoving a tube down your throat. But once it’s settled, it’ll feel fine.” He said. Keith nodded and tensed, clearly scared. Coran reached forward and gently rubbed his arm.

“Do you want me to get Shiro before I start?” Coran asked gently. Keith thought for a moment and nodded, a soft, distressed whine. Pidge continued to run their hands through Keith’s hair. 

“Coran’s getting Shiro, Keith. It’ll be fine, though, I’ve had it before, you know? It hurts a bit going in, but it’s fine.” Pidge said

“When did you have to get it?” Keith asked softly.

“Well, a couple weeks ago I completely ignored my health and collapsed. I was having a really hard time breathing and I had to get it. It’s fine, I promise.” Pidge said. Keith frowned and looked up at Pidge, a truly disorientating sight since he was normally so much taller than them. 

“You’re okay now, right?” Keith asked. Pidge nodded silently.

“Yup. Coran fixed me right up.” They answered.

“Don’t do that again, okay?” Keith said. “Take a break sometimes. Pay attention to your health.” He said. Pidge laughed and shook their head fondly.

“I heard a different, more long-winded version of that speech from literally everyone in this castle. Even Slav and the space mice! Though, I do think it’s hypocritical of Shiro to give me that lecture since he can and will literally keep going until he collapses because his body just can’t take anymore.” Pidge said. Keith frowned deeply, despite the fact that he had already known that fact.

“What’s hypocritical of me?” Shiro asked curiously as he entered the infirmary, his voice still slightly soft and tired since he had just been woken up from his nap. 

“The fact that you lectured me for an hour about taking care of myself when literally three days before you passed out in the kitchen because you hadn’t slept for 4 and a half days and had a fever.” Pidge answered. Shiro shrugged, since he knew he couldn’t deny that fact. Keith looked at him in bewilderment and Shiro just knew that as soon as Keith was better, he would be on the receiving end of such a lecture from his little brother. 

“Coran told me you were sick and that Pidge had found you in the hallway. Why didn’t you wake me up, buddy?” Shiro asked softly, focusing his attention on Keith. Keith avoided eye contact and gathered a fistful of Shiro’s jacket to keep him close.

“You were sleeping. I didn’t wanna wake you up.” Keith explained, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. Shiro sighed gently and sat next to Keith on the bed.

“I appreciate that you want to let me sleep, buddy, but I want you to wake me up if you need me. Now, Coran told me you were scared, but why?” Shiro asked gently. Keith clung tighter to Shiro and whimpered quietly.

“Keith has to get one of the breathing tubes. Basically, he has this parasite in his throat and lungs and he needs a breathing tube before the parasites completely block off his airway so he can’t breathe. He can barely breathe as it is.” Pidge explained. Shiro looked alarmed and looked at Keith, his expression softening. He knew that Keith was downright terrified at any sort of medical procedure. From injections to surgery, Keith would fight tooth and nail before giving in. 

“Oh, buddy, that’s awful.” Shiro said sympathetically. “Does Ulaz know?” He asked Coran, who nodded.

“Yes, he is aware. He has the treatment and is most likely heading in our direction as we speak. Though, I wouldn’t be surprised if his entire pack came along as well.” Coran said. Shiro nodded and looked at Keith as Coran grabbed what he needed. He could see keith tensing up, preparing to bolt the first chance he got.

“No, buddy, no running away. It’ll be fine, I promise. Here, you can hold my hand while Coran puts it in, okay?” Shiro said, offering his flesh hand. Keith looked hesitant.

“I don’t wanna hurt you..” Keith said. Shiro nodded in understanding and instead offered his metal hand.

“Hold this hand, then. You may have a strong grip, but I doubt you could even make a dent in this metal. Trust me, it’s faced a lot worse than your grip and it barely dented then.” Shiro said. Keith nodded and wrapped his hand around Shiro’s and held tight, his grip slowly tightening the closer Coran got. Keith held on with his tightest grip as Coran put in the breathing tube. Shiro was glad he had given Keith his metal hand to hold onto; as tight as Keith’s grip was, Shiro was sure his bones would be broken in his flesh hand. 

“It’s over now, Keith. I know it stings right now, but that’ll go away soon.” Coran said softly. Keith released his grip on Shiro’s hand and relaxed slightly.

We’ll give you a chance to rest now, Keith, just call for one of us on your datapad if you need us. For any reason.” Coran said, adding the last bit since he vividly remembered the last time he had left Keith in the infirmary to rest; Keith had ended up only calling for them after he collapsed in the middle of the floor and couldn’t climb onto his bed.

As the group shuffled out, Shiro stopped short when he felt Keith’s hand latch onto the hem on his shirt.

“Stay, please?” Keith asked softly, and how could Shiro say no? Keith was his little brother, how could he possibly deny a plea to stay when he was so distressed? Shiro sat down on the bed, startling when he felt Keith pull him into a lounging position against the pillows and nestled up against his side. Shiro smiled gently and rubbed Keith’s back, pulling up some documents on his datapad that he needed to go over. Over time, he could feel Keith falling asleep, smiling gently.

-

“Shiro? Where are you?” Matt called out. He had been on a mission for the rebels and no that he was back, all he wanted to see was his boyfriend. Shiro looked up when he heard Matt’s voice, grinning. 

“I’m in the infirmary, Mattie.” Shiro called out. He laughed when he saw Matt run in, knowing that the other had thought he was the one who was hurt. Matt paused when he saw Shiro and smiled, hugging him tightly and kissing his cheek. 

“Are you okay?” Matt asked worriedly, looking for injuries on Shiro’s body.

“Yes, I’m fine, Mattie. I’m just here because Keith asked me to stay with him.” Shiro reassured. Matt looked over at Keith, his eyes softening when he saw Keith sleeping against Shiro’s side.

“Is he okay?” Matt asked softly, brushing Keith’s bangs out of his face and chuckling when Keith stirred for a moment before settling again.

“Kind of? He has some sort of parasite in his throat and lungs. I wasn’t told all the details when I was woken up, so I don’t exactly know everything.” Shiro said. Matt nodded and furrowed his brows in thought.

“Do you know what the parasites look like?” He asked.

“Little green bug-like things, I think.” Shiro said, pulling the blanket up to Keith’s shoulders and rubbing his back in slow circles. Matt winced in sympathy and looked at Keith.

“Poor guy. Some of the rebels got those a while back, and it was not a fun trip. It’s pretty easy to treat but the medication is awful.” Matt said, sitting on Shiro’s other side and curling up against his side. He heard pattering footsteps growing closer and grinned, laughing when Pidge ran in and hugged him.

“Hey, Pidge, you miss me?” Matt asked, laughing a bit. Pidge nodded and hopped up onto the bed as well.

“Guys, if we’re not quiet, we’re gonna wake Keith up.” Shiro said, sighing his defeat when Keith’s eyes fluttered open.

“Welcome back to the land of the living, Keith.” Matt said. Keith’s ears flicked and he looked over, smiling when he saw Matt.

“Hey, Matt.” Keith said softly, laughing when he saw how Shiro was trapped in the middle of their little pile. 

“Keith, I think Lance’ll be back in a few hours.” Pidge said. Keith perked up and grinned, his tail thumping on the bed loudly in excitement. 

“Are you okay if we stay here with you? I know that infirmaries and hospitals scare you and I’d hate to leave you here alone. We would probably have to build a nest, though, we can’t all comfortably stay on this bed.” Matt said. Keith smiled and nodded, sitting patiently as Pidge and Matt darted off to find blankets and pillows. He had tried to offer to help, but he had been pushed back into bed by Shiro because no one wanted him to exert himself when he couldn’t breathe that well. He was allowed to help, however, when they all started to build the nest in the middle of the floor. They made the nest bigger to accommodate whoever wanted to come in and join them. 

-

Keith was woken up from another nap by a warm body tucking up against his back. He rolled over and squealed when he saw the familiar tan skin that could only belong to Lance, hugging him tightly. Lance jumped in surprise and hugged him loosely, kissing him.

“I didn’t mean to wake you up, babe.” Lance said apologetically. Keith’s ears pinned back and he pouted, nuzzling him.

“I don’t care if you wake me up. I wanted to see you.” Keith said. Lance grinned and scratched gently behind one of his ears.

“I heard you weren’t feeling well, babe. Why didn’t you call me? I would’ve come back immediately if I knew you felt so awful.” Lance said softly. Keith’s expression softened as he tucked himself against Lance’s chest.

“I knew you’d be back soon, though. I missed you, but I couldn’t justify it to call you just because I was a little dizzy.” Keith said. Lance scoffed and rubbed Keith’s back.

“A little dizzy? According to Coran, you all but passed out in his arms on the way here.” Lance challenged, though he didn’t sound mad. Keith shrunk in on himself and curled as close as he could physically get.

“Maybe a little dizzy is an understatement.” Keith said, smiling. “But Ulaz will be here soon, he’ll know what to do.” He said. Lance nodded and missed him again.

“I know he is, and your entire pack, too. We’ll have to extend this nest whenever you feel up to it. But for now, Hunk is making you a simple meal and you need to eat it because you need to eat today.” Lance said. Keith nodded and yawned, sitting up and grinning when he saw that Shiro, Matt, and Pidge were still there. Shiro was leaning against Matt, trying to discreetly get work done without Matt seeing, since he was clearly supposed to be trying to rest. Pidge was asleep on their stomach, snoring softly, and Matt was petting Shiro’s hair absentmindedly as he read a book on his datapad.

-

The next morning, Keith was awoken by a furry hand on his back. He would have been alarmed if not for the fact that he could hear Ulaz’s voice as he moved around the infirmary.

“So, he needs to breathe this in nasally in three steps. The first treatment will halt the breeding capabilities of the parasites, the second will dislodge the parasites from his throat which will, unfortunately, fall into his lungs. From there, he needs to quickly take this third treatment that will kill the parasites, and then they must be removed from his lungs.” Ulaz said. 

“Alright, that sounds pretty straight forward. But will you need someone to hold him down or reassure him?” Keith heard Kolivan ask.

“Well, I think he’ll need that anyway, he’s absolutely terrified of any medical treatments.” Shiro said. “He has been the entire time I’ve known him. The first year he was at the Garrison, he fought tooth and nail over getting a flu shot unless I was there with him.” Shiro recalled. 

“Hey! I thought we agreed to never tell anyone about that!” Keith protested, sitting up. Shiro chuckled and shook his head.

“Actually, that agreement was about what happened the third year you were at the Garrison and had to get a flu shot.” Shiro corrected. Keith grumbled and laughed when Antok scooped him up and held him close.

“You are such a strong warrior, it baffles me sometimes how you are afraid of such small things. Then again, I’m terrified of the idea of baths, so there’s that.” Antok said, shrugged. “You could so easily drown!” Keith shrugged a bit.

“Well, depends on your age. When you’re really young, you could drown, but as you get older, it gets pretty unlikely unless you fall asleep as your head slips underwater.” Keith said. Antok squawked in horror and held Keith closer until Ulaz took him and sat him on the bed he had previously been on. 

“So, did you hear what I said about the medication, kit?” Ulaz asked gently. Keith nodded and looked at Ulaz hesitantly. 

“Do I have to?” Keith asked softly, his voice holding a slight whine. Ulaz nodded and patted Keith’s back.

“Unfortunately, yes. Do you want your throat and lungs to be completely filled with parasites?” Ulaz said. Keith tensed, looking horrified with the idea. Thace came over and wrapped his arms around Keith, encouraging the kit to relax against his chest.

“Will it hurt to take the parasites out of my lungs?” Keith asked softly.

“Well, it’s no walk in the park. It’ll sting something awful for a while.” Ulaz said, not trying to sugarcoat it. Keith whimpered and hid his face in Thace’s chest when Ulaz grabbed the first step of the medication. 

“Come on out, kit. The sooner you get it over with, the sooner you’ll feel better.” Thace said encouragingly. He tickled Keith’s neck until the kit laughed and turned around to protect his neck. It only took him a second to realize that he had been tricked, looking at Thace in betrayal.

“Thace is right, kit. The sooner you get it done, the sooner you can relax.” Kolivan said softly. Keith huffed and waited patiently until Ulaz came over. 

“Alright, kit, when I tell you to, breathe in through your nose. This medication burns, so we’ll take a break afterwards for about ten minutes.” Ulaz explained. Keith nodded and whimpered softly in fear as Ulaz placed the two-pronged nasal medication sprayer into each of his nostrils. 

“Okay, now inhale.” Ulaz instructed. Keith tensed when he felt the painful burn of the spray and clutched Krolia’s hand tightly.

“Now exhale through your mouth.” Ulaz said as he placed the sprayer back where he had picked it up from. Keith immediately jerked away and cried out.

“That hurt!” He exclaimed. Ulaz nodded in understanding and rubbed his back, humming quietly.

“I know, kit. I did warn you about it, though.” He said gently. Keith sat and waited for the sharp burn to fade to a dull throb, tensing when Ulaz grabbed the second round of treatment.

“Same procedure as last time, my kit.” Ulaz said gently. Krolia offered her other hand, the hand that Keith had been previously holding was bruised. Keith looked at her apologetically.

“No need to worry kit, it is merely bruised. You have a very tight grip for such a small thing, I’m actually impressed.” Krolia said. Keith huffed playfully at the reminder of his incredibly short height and slim frame in comparison to every other blade.

“Unfortunately, kit, it is better if we push through from here. This next step will detach the parasites from your throat and the top of your lungs and they will, unfortunately, fall to the bottom of your lungs. From there, we’ll immediately go into the third step that kills the parasites, and then remove them.” Ulaz said. Keith sighed, clearly not a fan, but he also knew that Ulaz would never let him be in more pain than was natural.

“Alright, now inhale.” Ulaz said, watching as Keith tensed as the burn returned to his nostrils and throat with a vengeance. “And exhale.” He said, sighing regretfully when Keith turned his head away to refuse the third step of treatment. “Inhale.” He instructed when Keith complied a few moments later, counting audibly so that Keith knew how much time he had left. “And exhale.”

Keith had tears in his eyes by the end of the third medication. He was clinging to Krolia and Thace as if his life depended on it.

“Right, now is the really hard part, kit. I am going to remove the breathing tube and replace it with this vacuum device. I’m not going to lie, it’ll feel like someone is slicing your throat open.” Ulaz said, having learned from experience that sugarcoating things for Keith didn’t have good results. Keith tensed and tried to run, though he was stopped by Antok gently pushing him back down. 

When Ulaz inserted the vacuum, Keith would’ve shrieked if not for the fact that he couldn’t get enough air in to talk, let alone scream. He heard Krolia yelp when his hand tightened more than she was expecting. 

“My, you are strong, kit.” She said, her voice breathless with the pain of Keith’s hand latched around her’s, like a rubber band that was tied too tightly around a finger. Ulaz tapped his foot impatiently as the vacuum removed the parasites, hating the soundless feelings of his kit’s distress. He removed it as soon as he was able, wincing at Keith’s shriek. 

“Easy, now, kit. It is over now, just breathe. Can one of you please get a cup of water for Keith?” He asked the paladins, smiling when Hunk left the room and came back with a cup of water. Kolivan gently held it up to Keith’s lips, rumbling soothingly as Keith sipped at the liquid. 

“He’ll be fine now. He just needs to take it easy for a few days.” Ulaz said, shifting Keith back into the nest and grinning as the paladins all surrounded him, offering reassurance and praise for not completely attacking Ulaz before he’d even started (that had come from Shiro and Matt, and Ulaz made a mental note to ask about just what they meant.)

-

A few hours later saw Keith nestled between Regris and Krolia, leaning against his mother as they watched a movie in the lounge. The blades had decided to stay for the few days that Keith needed to recover, finding it easier than taking the day and a half trip and risking Keith getting ill again.

“You’re lucky you’re not dead, as progressed as that was. You should tell any of us immediately if you feel off after a mission. First the hirdun bite, then this. Even if you think it’s something small, always tell us.” Antok lectured gently from his place underneath Kolivan. Keith shrunk in on himself out of sheepishness.

“Sorry, I thought I was fine.” Keith said. Antok nodded in understanding, laughing when Acxa deposited herself over Krolia and Keith, clearly having chosen her spot for the foreseeable future.

“I know, kit. We understand, we really do. Just make sure to tell us, okay? Even the tiniest little pinprick of pain can be something big out here in space.” Krolia said. “I was rather unimpressed with human illnesses, really. So weak compared to germs we encounter on a daily basis.” Krolia said. Keith chuckled and relaxed, his face scrunching up when Acxa pawed at his face playfully.

“Acxa, no, kit. You know the rule is no play fighting with someone who is sick or recovering from something.” Thace said, his voice gentle and soft.Acxa stopped immediately and settled down.

“Sorry, I forgot.” She said.

“That’s okay, kit. It happens to the best of us.” Thace said, draping a blanket over the three kits and the mother figure of the pack. He settled down next to Ulaz and smiled as he watched the movie. They had chosen a light hearted movie because of the stress of the previous couple of days. It seemed to be luring Keith to sleep and entertaining Regris pretty well, so he supposed that Antok had made a good choice. 

Just as Keith was balancing between the realms of sleep and awareness, he huffed a laugh when he saw something funny on screen, and Thace knew he would be right as rain soon enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my tumblr legendary-marmorans !


End file.
